This was my first hiking trip in Peru, and what a place to start! The hike to Laguna 69 was one of the top on my peru adventure travel bucket-list. The Cordillera Blanca mountain range attracts hiking enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies from all over the world. As the world’s second highest mountain range after the Himalayas, the region is rich with offerings of all sorts of outdoor pursuits from hiking, mountain-biking, ice-climbing, and more. Hike to Laguna 69 I visited the region for a long weekend with my boyfriend Steven and friends Evi and Helge. Since we had limited time and hiking experience, we decided the priority was to see Laguna 69 – the jewel in the Cordillera Crown. Located in the Huascarán National Park at 4,600m (15,092ft) above sea level, it’s one of the more accessible locations in the region, and can be visited as a day hike or a two day trip with camping. We opted for the latter. The trek is deemed as relatively challenging for non-regular hikers, thanks to the altitude and short, steep incline at the end, or as a gentle trek for the experienced – so the difficulty level is relative! We set out early in the morning with our guide Epi, who has lived and worked in the mountains his whole life – first as a porter, then a cook, and now as a trained and registered guide for the national park. Our complete package included all transport, meals, tents and equipment, which meant we didn’t have to worry about the arrangements, and only had to carry our day-packs. After a very bumpy two and a half hours by car from Huaraz, we set off on foot into the hills. One of my favourite moments was our picnic lunch on the first day. After a
This was my first hiking trip in Peru, and what a place to start! The hike to Laguna 69 was one of the top on my peru adventure travel bucket-list. The Cordillera Blanca mountain range attracts hiking enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies from all over the world. As the world’s second highest mountain…
While recently in the Cusco region, I took the opportunity to hike the lodge-to-lodge Ausangate trek. This is an incredible high altitude 5 day trek, staying overnight at authentic and comfortable mountain lodges. Walk along a miraculous trekking route that passes beneath the snow covered peak of Ausangate amidst other wonders. The Lodge-to-Lodge Ausangate Trek combines core Aracari values: authenticity, sustainability and adventure complemented by comfort and good taste. Lodge-to-Lodge Ausangate Trek Day 1: Cusco to Chillca Tambo (4,368 metres asl) Distance: 3.3 km Within about 20 minutes of being picked up from my hotel, it quickly became apparent to our group that the Ausangate lodge to lodge trek would be an out-of-the-ordinary experience. Our guide, Jeremy, jumped into the van where we had been waiting with a bag of coca leaves; “they’re fresh” he told us excitedly, going on to enthusiastically detail the small farm in the high rainforest, from where he had just arrived, and from where he had acquired the leaves. “We’ll need them for the walk” he continued with a wry smile that could not contain his glee. This was quite clearly a guide who was up for an adventure, and his sheer excitement at going to Ausangate with us certainly made us very much more excited about the prospect of what on earth lay ahead of us. Jeremy would later explain why coca is sacred, why it has been such a vital plant to Andean communities for millennia, and how it is a mediator between man, the earth and the gods, but there was no time for that now. We drove out of Cusco on the road to Puno for a couple of hours, all the while hearing Jeremy’s detailed, animated and, at times jovial, insights into the Cusco region, everything from the population and the economy to the awful bout
While recently in the Cusco region, I took the opportunity to hike the lodge-to-lodge Ausangate trek. This is an incredible high altitude 5 day trek, staying overnight at authentic and comfortable mountain lodges. Walk along a miraculous trekking route that passes beneath the snow covered peak of Ausangate amidst other wonders. The…
